Machine for washing the under parts of vehicles in general

ABSTRACT

Machine for washing the undersides of vehicles includes carriages mounting rotating sprinklers 5. The carriages are connected by a rigid strap, linearly movable on parallel rails 1 bedded in a recessed tit 3 and are supplied with water by hoses 7 wound on end reels. A drive motor 16 rotates roller 15 on which are wound draw cables 14 coupled to the reels and carriages.

United States Patent Beltran Sept. 30, 1975 [54] MACHINE FOR WASHING THEUNDER 2,226,668 12/1940 Newman 239/184 PARTS OF VEHICLES IN GENERAL2,879,945 3/1959 Johnson 3,102,545 9/1963 Knight, Jr. et a1. 239/186[75] Inventor: Manuel Carlos Beltran, Bucnos Aires, Argentina 73'Assignee: Fabril Automaq S.A.1.C.A.F.l., Kmg

. Altai/1e Agent, 01 FlrmSughrue, Rothwell, Mlon, Buenos Aires,Argentina Z1nn & Macpeak [22] Filed: Dec. 17, 1974 Appl. No.2 533,593

Foreign Application Priority Data Dec. 18, 1973 Argentina 251602 US. Cl239/184; 239/186 Int. Cl. BOSB 3/18 Field of Search 239/184, 186, 187,185

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Ellis 239/186 [57] ABSTRACTMachine for washing the undersides of vehicles includes carriagesmounting rotating sprinklers 5. The carriages are connected by a rigidstrap, linearly movable on parallel rails 1 bedded in a recessed tit 3and are supplied with water by hoses 7 wound on end reels. A drive motor16 rotates roller 15 on which are wound draw cables 14 coupled to thereels and carriages.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures US. Patent Sept. 30 1075 1 on 3,908,907

T MUG U85 Patent Sept. 30,1975 Shem 2 on 3,908,907

MACHINE FOR WASHING THE UNDER PARTS OF VEHICLES IN GENERAL BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates toa machine for automatically washing the underparts of vehicles ingeneral. Various modifications have been made to this machine whichsubstantially improve its operating capacity as compared to that whichis currently known in the art, such that the machine is capable ofwashing vehicles of great length such as trucks, buses and railwaycarriages.

2. Description of the Prior Art Current machines of this type consist ofa carriage adapted for alternating linear displacement on which ismounted a water sprinkler. This carriage moves on rails of correspondinglength to the standard length of the chassis of vehicles and is suppliedwith liquid under pressure by way of a hose coupled to one side of thesprinkler. This causes serious difficulties which obstruct the readysliding of the carriage, since, due to the volume and pressure of theliquid flowing through it and because of the diameter and thickness ofits walls, the hose is an element having a heavy structure which tendsto slow down the carriage and thus requires greater force on the part ofthe drive means. As the drive means was designed to operate withoutimpediment, this may be damaged. Furthermore, it has been found inpractice that the disposition and displacement of the hose constitutes adifficult problem which renders the system inadequate.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The improvements which have been made to thismachine are designed to eliminate these negative features. The hose isnow disposed in a frontal position with respect to the carriage and iscoupled to the same in such a way that it both supplies the liquid flowand acts as its pulling means. To this end, the hose is wound on andoffa reel which is located on one of the ends of the rails and which isrotated by a cable which is attached to and wound on the same reel at adifferent part from the hose. The cable is wound in the oppositedirection to the hose and extends as far as a drive pulley disposed atthe other end of the rails, from which it returns and is linked to thecarriage at a point opposite its coupling with the hose. Although thissolution is considered effective and has been shown to be so in practicewhen it is used with washing equipment of equivalent length to thelength of a standard car, it is obvious that if it were used with avehicle of greater length such as a bus or railway carriage it could notbe equally effective as the length of the unwound hose would render thehose excessively heavy which would directly affect the carriage andwould no doubt render impossible its essential, regular, alternatingdisplacement. Furthermore, it would be necessary to provide a reel ofsubstantial size which would make it difficult to arrange it in alogical and adequate manner.

The above-described problem has been solved through the ingenious andsimple expedient of doubling the length of the machine and by providingit with two sprinkler carriages. each of which is only displaced as faras the middle of the total length of the machine, and comprisingindependent reels and hoses disposed at both ends of the machine.However, this new constructive form only requires a single drive meanswhich simultaneously activates both carriages by way of transmissionmeans consisting of a transversal and central roller about which run thedraw cables of the carriages. The carriages themselves are firmlyconnected together by means of rigid strap which keeps a constantdistance between the two carriages. In this way the drawing forceproduced at the central roller is uniformly distributed to eachsprinkler carriage and simultaneously transmitted to the reels and hoseswhich are provided with means permitting the passage of the water underpressure as they effect the necessary rotating movements.

The mechanism also comprises an automatic electrical device designed tolimit the alternating displacements of the carriages in conformity withthe requirements imposed by the length of the vehicle body to be washedso as not to unnecessarily waste the hydraulic and drive forcesemployed.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will bemade apparent from the following detailed description of a preferredembodiment thereof provided in reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational view of thenew improved machine for washing the chassis of vehicles.

FIG. 2 is a plan view according to FIG. 1 which also shows theelectrical elements for automatically controlling the same.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view along the line AA of FIG.

FIG. 4 is a detailed, elevational, partial sectional view of theconstruction of the reel about which the hose and the drawing cable arewound. The drawing also shows the column providing the flow of liquidwhich also constitutes the axis of the reel and the additionalelectrical means for the automatic control of the device.

FIG. 5 is a partial, perspective view of the machine.

FIG. 6 shows a complementary device designed to guide the hose correctlyon the reel during the winding operation.

To bring the drawings in conformity with the description the identicalparts or elements which are disclosed in the different figures have beendesignated by a common reference letter or number.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The machine in question consistsof a pair of parallel rails 1 which are disposed on the bottom 2 of alongitudinal recess 3 of quadrangular section. In the case of thepresent machine, the carriages a) slide in an alternating linearmovement on the rails l. The carriages a) consist of mobile frames 4, inthe center of each of which is disposed a water sprinkler 5, to thecentral barrels 6 of which the ends of corresponding hoses 7 arecoupled. The hoscs 7 are wound on and off the supporting part 8 of therespective reels b) disposed at each end of the recess 3. Thus, a reelb) corresponds to each carriage a). Each reel b) is freely mounted abouta fixed axis 9 which extends coaxially from the column 10 supplying theliquid under pressure which is supplied to the hose 7 by way of itsconnection with the intermediate rotary socket 11 (FIG. 4), at whichpoint the column 10 is terminated. The above-mentioned reels b) whichrest on the bearings 12 disposed at their base also comprise as anextension of their supporting parts 8, the lower supporting parts 13 towhich are attached the respective ends of the draw cables 14 which arewound on or off the same and which extend along the length of the recess3 as far as the drive roller transversally disposed in the center of thesame. The cables 14 pass round the roller 15 and then return so thattheir opposite end 14 is secured to the corresponding frame 4 of thecarriage a). As has been stated, the transversal roller 15 marks thecenter of the recess 3 and each carriage a) completes its alternatinglinear sliding movement on the rails 1 at the point corresponding toeach center of the recess 3. The transversal roller 15 is a drive rollerand it receives power from the electric motor 16 by way of the reducerand inverter box 17 and by corresponding transmission means. itsrotational movements are produced by the drawing cables 14 which rotateit and act on the carriages a) in both linear directions. It isnecessary to state that each carriage a) is connected to a circuit whichcomprises the hose 7 which is capable of being wound on and off thesupporting part 8 of the reel b) which, in turn, receives on its lowersupporting part 13 which is less high than the main reel and has adifferent winding direction, the draw cable 14 which, after passinground the drive roller 15 is attached on its return to the carriage a)at an opposite point 14' to the end of the hose 7. As a result, when oneof the carriages a) is drawn to the center of the recess 3, the othercarriage effects an inverse withdrawal movement to the relevant end.These conditions which are essential for the effective operation of thedevice are ensured by the cooperation of the strap 18 which rigidlyconnects the two frames 4 of the carriages a), thus preventing thepossible slipping of the draw cables 14 on the surface of the driveroller 15 from varying the equidistance which must prevail between thecarriages a). To improve its operating capacity, the strap 18 rests onand slides on a central roller 19 which is freely disposed at the end ofa support 20 which rises at right angles to the bottom of the recess 3.To assist the perfect winding of the hose 7 on the supporting part 10 ofeach reel b), the device is provided in the proximity of each of thelatter with elements 21 which are slightly inclined with respect to theperpendicular and which are cylindrical at their main upper part whichextends from a truncated lower part surrounded by an annular lug at itsbase. As this element 21 freely rotates about an axis 22 secured to thebottom of the recess 3, the hose 7 slides on the same and, owing to itspredetermined inclination, the guide tends to superpose the turns of itswinding in a logical manner. Likewise, the draw cables 14 are eachprovided with tensioning pulleys 23 in the proximity of the point wherethey begin to be wound on the lower supporting parts 13 of the reels h).

The electric motor 16 receives the pulses which are transmitted to it byway of the automatic electrical control device 0) which is shown inFIGS. 2 and 4 and which is housed in a box 24 having an external controlpanel. Inside the control panel there are provided various currentinterrupters or inverters designed to be activated by way of cams 26integral with the shaft 27 which is also the axis of the pulley 28outside of the box 24 which receives the rotational movement of the reelb) by way of its coaxial pulley 29 and its transmission belt 30. Theoperation of this automatic control system 0) enables the machine tofollow a work system corresponding to the length of the chassis to bewashed. On the basis of this concept, the operation of the device isprogrammed by means of the control panel and the carriages a) effecttheir alternating linear movements in accordance with the position ofthe interrupters or inverters 25 in relation to the cams 26corresponding to each case. It is necessary to take into account thesubstantial difference in the diameters of the smaller pulley 29integral with the reel b) and the larger pulley 28 associated with thecam shaft 27, consisting in that the rotations of the reel b) are onlyreceived in the control box in a minimum quantity which is neverthelesssufficient to produce the corresponding pulses.

The constructional and operational advantages of the present inventionare apparent from the above description and accompanying drawings. Thisinvention can be considered as an effective means for automaticallywashing the underparts of vehicles in general and we do not consider itnecessary to provide further details on this subject apart from statingthat the inventor is obviously entitled make further modificationswithout departing from the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. An improved machine for washing the-under parts of vehicles ingeneral which is housed inside a longitudinal recess of quadrangularsection and comprises a pair of rails on which a carriage bearing aframe is displaced linearly in an alternating manner, said framecomprising a sprinkler head to which is coupled a hose conveying theliquid under pressure, characterized in that two carriages bearingsprinkler elements are provided and they are rigidly connected togetherby means of a longitudinal rigid strap keeping the carriages disposed intwo outer parts of the recess and further in that the end of the railsand in correspondence with each of the carriages, reels are providedabout which the hoses corresponding to the sprinkler of each carriageare adapted to be wound and unwound with the cooperation of respectiveguide members, said hoses being connected to respective rotarysocketscoaxially interposed in the columns supplying the liquid under pressure,said columns also constituting the respective axes of each reel, towhich, in turn, the ends of corresponding draw cables are attached at alower supporting part of each reel with a different winding direction tothe hoses, said draw cablesextending to the center of the recess inwhich the unit is lodged until it passes round a transversal driveroller and returns so that its opposite end is attached to the frame ofthe respective carriage; at least said reels having been provided withan integral and coaxial pulley connected by transmission means toanother pulley or larger diameter integral with a cam shaft capable ofacting on elements for controlling the operation, the interruption andreversing of the movement of the motor connected to said transversal andcentral drive roller.

2. An improved machine for washing the under parts of vehicles ingeneral according to claim 1, wherein the rigid strap which connects thecarriages bearing the sprinkler elements rests on a roller freelydisposed on the end of a support which projects at right angles from thebottom of the recess containing the machine.

3. An improved machine for washing the underparts of vehicles in generalas claimed in claim 1, wherein the guide members for winding the hoseson the reels are disposed adjacent to each reel on the input side ofeach hose and consist of cylindrical, elongated elements reels consistof drums having a main, upper supporting part on which the hose is woundand a lower supporting part on which the draw cable is wound; said drumsalso comprising a central tube for axially coupling it on the columnsupplying the water under pressure and the base of said drums resting oncorresponding bearings. l

1. An improved machine for washing the under parts of vehicles ingeneral which is housed inside a longitudinal recess of quadrangularsection and comprises a pair of rails on which a carriage bearing aframe is displaced linearly in an alternating manner, said framecomprising a sprinkler head to which is coupled a hose conveying theliquid under pressure, characterized in that two carriages bearingsprinkler elements are provided and they are rigidly connected togetherby means of a longitudinal rigid strap keeping the carriages disposed intwo outer parts of the recess and further in that the end of the railsand in correspondence with each of the carriages, reels are providedabout which the hoses corresponding to the sprinkler of each carriageare adapted to be wound and unwound with the cooperation of respectiveguide members, said hoses being connected to respective rotary socketscoaxially interposed in the columns supplying the liquid under pressure,said columns also constituting the respective axes of each reel, towhich, in turn, the ends of corresponding draw cables are attached at alower supporting part of each reel with a different winding direction tothe hoses, said draw cables extending to the center of the recess inwhich the unit is lodged until it passes round a transversal driveroller and returns so that its opposite end is attached to the frame ofthe respective carriage; at least said reels having been provided withan integral and coaxial pulley connected by transmission means toanother pulley or larger diameter integral with a cam shaft capable ofacting on elements for controlling the operation, the interruption andreversing of the movement of the motor connected to said transversal andcentral drive roller.
 2. An improved machine for washing the under partsof vehicles in general according to claim 1, wherein the rigid strapwhich connects the carriages bearing the sprinkler elements rests on aroller freely disposed on the end of a support which projects at rightangles from the bottom of the recess containing the machine.
 3. Animproved machine for washing the underparts of vehicles in general asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the guide members for winding the hoses onthe reels are disposed adjacent to each reel on the input side of eachhose and consist of cylindrical, elongated elements slightly inclinedwith respect to the perpendicular and provided with truncated bases andannular lugs, said elements being freely rotatable about fixed axisprojecting from the bottom of the recess housing the machine.
 4. Animproved machine for washing the under parts of vehicles in general asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the reels consist of drums having a main,upper supporting part on which the hose is wound and a lower supportingpart on which the draw cable is wound; said drums also comprising acentral tube for axially coupling it on the column supplying the waterunder pressure and the base of said drums resting on correspondingbearings.